I think a tam is my favorite kind of hat. Everyone looks good in a tam, and it should be a wardrobe staple in autumn and winter. Sirona is a traditional shetland tam with a delicate and beautiful patterning. It uses only two colors which makes it easy to knit and leaves very few ends to weave in. So, grab your yarn and needles, and make yourself a tam to keep your ears warm in the winter cold.

The pattern is suitable for intermediate knitters and adventurous beginners. Specific required skills are listed below. Colorwork pattern is charted only. The pattern has been test knit and professionally tech edited to reduce the possibility for error, but if you have questions or believe that you have found an error, please contact me.

Required skills
Cast on
Knit and purl
Knitting small circumferences in the round
Stranded colorwork
Increase and decrease

Size
This tam will fit a head with a circumference of 21 - 22”/54-56 cm.
Tam diameter is 11”/28 cm.

Recommended yarn
Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift 100% wool; 115 yd/105 m per 25 g skein
MC: color 122 Granite, 2 skeins
CC: color 1260 Raspberry, 1 skein.

Approximately 160 yd/145 m in main color and 110 yd/100 m in contrasting color of fingering weight yarn.

Needles & notions
US #1/2.25 mm circular needle, 16”/40 cm
US #2/2.75 mm circular needle, 16”/40 cm
US #2/2.75 mm double pointed needles
or the needles you need to knit to gauge.
Tapestry needle
Stitch marker

Gauge
32 sts/38 rows = 4”/10 cm in stranded color pattern with larger needles. Gauge is measured before blocking. Blocking a tam will distort the gauge.
To ensure accurate sizing and save time and frustration, check your gauge.